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OUR TEAMS – LEADERSHIP

A History of Success

Geneva is managed by an experienced global leadership team who are dedicated to driving our growth and success. With decades of experience, our leadership team ensures our business decisions are well-informed and our business strategy provides opportunities for our people to succeed.

Senior Management Team

President & CEO

Rob Creamer

Rob has been Geneva’s President & CEO since 2010 and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Rob joined Geneva as a trader in 2001 and has been responsible for product development, strategy, and business development, as well as being intimately involved in the development of Geneva’s proprietary technology.

Prior to joining Geneva, he was a serial entrepreneur who founded several transformative companies in industries that could benefit from technology and digital networks. He holds several patents in the fields of online gaming, advertising, and digital imaging.

Rob serves on the Board of the Futures Industry Association (FIA), is Chairman of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA PTG) and is a Member of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee.

Outside of his industry work, Rob enjoys skiing, running and spending time with his family.

Chief Legal Officer

Jeff Ramsey

Jeff is Geneva’s CLO and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Since joining the firm in 2010, he focuses on the firm’s regulatory and legal matters, corporate strategy development and execution, intellectual property protection and management, and M&A efforts. He has spent his entire career in the financial industry in a variety of roles and encompassing diverse areas including trading, investment banking, and asset management. Jeff speaks at industry and legal conferences and is an active participant in advocacy organizations within the industry.

In his spare time Jeff enjoys motorsports, studying history, music, and supporting his daughters’ education and extracurricular activities.

Chief Administrative Officer

Seth Thomson

Seth joined Geneva Trading in 2023 as our Chief Administrative Officer and focuses on managing and optimizing our technology, operations, and risk management teams.

Seth is an accomplished technology and operations executive with over 25 years of experience working in the financial markets. Prior to joining Geneva, he spent almost 15 years as a technology and operations leader at DRW and, most recently, as their Chief Information Officer focused on implementing processes and infrastructure to support their growing organization.

Passionate about developing technical education opportunities for everyone, Seth has been involved in the greater Chicago non-profit community for more than two decades. He provided the initial IT infrastructure for Literature for All of Us in Evanston and served as a founding board member and advisor for Become in Chicago. Seth was an early adopter of Code Platoon, where he also participates as a board member, and has seen its success firsthand. Seth holds a BA in Computers and Management from DePaul University.

In his free time, Seth enjoys time with family and friends, reading books, writing, cooking and playing games that challenge his mind.

Chief Technology Officer

Darek Potchebout

Darek is Geneva’s CTO and is an innovative tech entrepreneur with a passion for the financial industry.

Prior to joining Geneva, Darek was the CTO of GX2 Systems and Breakwater Trading. Darek has architected risk and middle office systems, ultra-low latency order management services, smart order routing and execution services.

Prior to Breakwater, Darek managed the eOperations Treasury Management Team for BA Direct, a widely used e-commerce portal from Bank of America. Before “The Cloud” was an everyday term, Darek was an integral part of a venture that delivered innovative cloud-based middle- and back-office solutions to trading firms.

Chief Operations Officer

Christopher McNulty, Sr.

Chris joined Geneva Trading in 2009 and is our COO responsible for global operational oversight. He brings more than 40 years of experience in the futures industry in both trading and leadership roles.

Prior to joining Geneva, Chris founded two proprietary trading firms that traded on several international exchanges including the CME Group, ICE, EUREX and Euronext-LIFFE, employing both electronic and open outcry strategies. He was also a limited partner and Chief Operating Officer of Marquette Partners.

Chris is passionate about charitable activities and has significant non-profit experience as a member of various Boards of Trustees and as Chair of an Endowment Board and a Finance Committee.

Chief Risk Officer

Brian VonDohlen

Brian joined Geneva Trading in 2019 and serves as Chief Risk Officer, leveraging his experience in proprietary trading to enable traders while mitigating firm-wide risks. Prior to joining Geneva, Brian served as CRO for a start-up FinTech where he built Machine Learning models to gauge riskiness of loan applicants.

His career has been focused on quantitative trading, portfolio management, and business development, working closely with options trading pioneer Blair Hull. Brian served as a Financial Engineer at the Hull Trading division of Goldman Sachs, and continued working for Hull at Ketchum Trading, before focusing on business development for Hull Investments.

He holds the CFA designation and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan. In his spare time, Brian is an avid woodworker and enjoys reading on a wide range of topics.

Head of Human Resources

Sarah Widner

Sarah joined Geneva Trading in 2017 and is Geneva’s Head of Human Resources. She is responsible for strategic management and day-to-day direction across all our HR functions. The HR team’s mission is to ensure the employee experience is positive and seamless throughout the entire employee lifecycle. HR plays a crucial role in shaping Geneva’s culture by developing and implementing HR strategies, processes, procedures, and programs that reinforce Geneva’s desired cultural attributes to attract, develop, motivate, and retain top talent.

Before joining Geneva, Sarah spent most of her career in the technology industry. Her HR career began with campus recruiting at CDW Corporation, which later led to a head of Talent Management overseeing all HR for a technology firm based in Chicago. Sarah’s experience in recruiting and exposure to various HR functions inspired her to pursue a broader, more global HR career. She gained hands-on experience in benefits administration, immigration, talent management, compensation, engagement, and employee relations. In 2014, Sarah received her SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.

Sarah enjoys working with people at the management level and with individual contributors. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, arts and crafts, and spending time with her family and friends.

Controller

Andrew Linsley

Andrew has worked in the financial sector since 1997 in London, Sydney and Dublin, both at large institutions including ABN Amro and GE Capital as well as starting his own mortgage and insurance brokerage. A qualified accountant since 2000 and at our Dublin office since 2007, Andrew is the PCF CEO, head of finance and executive director for our MIFIDII regulated entity in Ireland and is part of the global management team. Andrew specializes in regulatory, financial and management reporting, business analytics and process optimization.

Outside of work Andrew spends time with his family, travelling, and competing in endurance running events. He is also involved in local running race organization and volunteers at several charity events each year.

Board of Managers

H. Arthur Brereton

Art co-founded Geneva Trading in Dublin in 1999, served as its Chief Executive until 2003, and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. His experience in derivatives began as a member of the Chicago Board of Trade in 1983 as an independent trader. He has also been a member and traded on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Sydney Futures Exchange, and London International Financial Futures Exchange. He joined Marquette Partners in 1994 and became a limited partner before leaving to form Geneva Trading.

Art came to derivatives trading as a second career. He began his professional life as a Naval Architect and he designed hardware for racing sailboats from 1976 until 1983. He founded Melges Spars in 1979 with sailing icon Buddy Melges, and is an accomplished sailor. Art has won National Championships and has participated successfully in numerous regattas overseas.

Outside of Geneva, Art owns a farm in Missouri with his extended family and has a keen interest in water and land conservation. He and his family of five live in Winnetka, Illinois and Torch Lake, Michigan.

Rob Creamer

Rob has been Geneva’s President & CEO since 2010 and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Rob joined Geneva as a trader in 2001 and has been responsible for product development, strategy, and business development, as well as being intimately involved in the development of Geneva’s proprietary technology.

Prior to joining Geneva, he was a serial entrepreneur who founded several transformative companies in industries that could benefit from technology and digital networks. He holds several patents in the fields of online gaming, advertising, and digital imaging.

Rob serves on the Board of the Futures Industry Association (FIA), is Chairman of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA PTG) and is a Member of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee.

Outside of his industry work, Rob enjoys skiing, running and spending time with his family.

Thomas Freytag

“T” co- founded Geneva Trading in 1999 in Dublin and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. He developed and taught his trading methodology and discipline, focused on a framework of high reward, low risk strategies, to Geneva’s traders as the firm expanded. T began his futures trading career at the Chicago Board of Trade as an independent trader in the bond and equity index trading pits before becoming a limited partner of Marquette Partners, overseeing the expansion of Marquette’s proprietary trading group in London.

Outside of Geneva Trading, T is an avid and world class sailor. He has raced since the age of six and has competed around the world at the highest level. A partial list of his championships include overall Gold Cup wins in 1997, 2002 and 2003 and the US National Championship in 2003.

He and his family live in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where they are active members in the community.

Jeff Ramsey

Jeff is Geneva’s CLO and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Since joining the firm in 2010, he focuses on the firm’s regulatory and legal matters, corporate strategy development and execution, intellectual property protection and management, and M&A efforts. He has spent his entire career in the financial industry in a variety of roles and encompassing diverse areas including trading, investment banking, and asset management. Jeff speaks at industry and legal conferences and is an active participant in advocacy organizations within the industry.

In his spare time Jeff enjoys motorsports, studying history, music, and supporting his daughters’ education and extracurricular activities.

Gerard Shannon

Gerard is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers, a CME and IMM member, and traded on the CME floor as a selected market maker in the interest rate quadrant for over 25 yrs. He has served on several committees and boards at the CME throughout his career and helped launch the introduction of options on futures in the agricultural markets. In 1985, he founded GMS Trading Corp, which was one of the first trading groups to begin providing electronic market making for CME, helping drive the migration of trading to the screen in 2002. Gerard served as GMS Trading’s President until its expansion with Mercury Holdings, a principal trading firm, in 2007. In 2010 Mercury Holdings merged with Geneva Trading and merged each party’s technology to create a state of the art automated trading platform, providing liquidity for futures exchanges around the world.

Gerard is an avid fitness enthusiast who has competed in many triathlons and marathons. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, fishing, and spending time with his wife and three children in Marco Island, Florida.

H. Arthur Brereton

Art co-founded Geneva Trading in Dublin in 1999, served as its Chief Executive until 2003, and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. His experience in derivatives began as a member of the Chicago Board of Trade in 1983 as an independent trader. He has also been a member and traded on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Sydney Futures Exchange, and London International Financial Futures Exchange. He joined Marquette Partners in 1994 and became a limited partner before leaving to form Geneva Trading.

Art came to derivatives trading as a second career. He began his professional life as a Naval Architect and he designed hardware for racing sailboats from 1976 until 1983. He founded Melges Spars in 1979 with sailing icon Buddy Melges, and is an accomplished sailor. Art has won National Championships and has participated successfully in numerous regattas overseas.

Outside of Geneva, Art owns a farm in Missouri with his extended family and has a keen interest in water and land conservation. He and his family of five live in Winnetka, Illinois and Torch Lake, Michigan.

Rob Creamer

Rob has been Geneva’s President & CEO since 2010 and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Rob joined Geneva as a trader in 2001 and has been responsible for product development, strategy, and business development, as well as being intimately involved in the development of Geneva’s proprietary technology.

Prior to joining Geneva, he was a serial entrepreneur who founded several transformative companies in industries that could benefit from technology and digital networks. He holds several patents in the fields of online gaming, advertising, and digital imaging.

Rob serves on the Board of the Futures Industry Association (FIA), is Chairman of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA PTG) and is a Member of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee.

Outside of his industry work, Rob enjoys skiing, running and spending time with his family.

Thomas Freytag

“T” co- founded Geneva Trading in 1999 in Dublin and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. He developed and taught his trading methodology and discipline, focused on a framework of high reward, low risk strategies, to Geneva’s traders as the firm expanded. T began his futures trading career at the Chicago Board of Trade as an independent trader in the bond and equity index trading pits before becoming a limited partner of Marquette Partners, overseeing the expansion of Marquette’s proprietary trading group in London.

Outside of Geneva Trading, T is an avid and world class sailor. He has raced since the age of six and has competed around the world at the highest level. A partial list of his championships include overall Gold Cup wins in 1997, 2002 and 2003 and the US National Championship in 2003.

He and his family live in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where they are active members in the community.

Jeff Ramsey

Jeff is Geneva’s CLO and is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers. Since joining the firm in 2010, he focuses on the firm’s regulatory and legal matters, corporate strategy development and execution, intellectual property protection and management, and M&A efforts. He has spent his entire career in the financial industry in a variety of roles and encompassing diverse areas including trading, investment banking, and asset management. Jeff speaks at industry and legal conferences and is an active participant in advocacy organizations within the industry.

In his spare time Jeff enjoys motorsports, studying history, music, and supporting his daughters’ education and extracurricular activities.

Gerard Shannon

Gerard is a member of Geneva’s Board of Managers, a CME and IMM member, and traded on the CME floor as a selected market maker in the interest rate quadrant for over 25 yrs. He has served on several committees and boards at the CME throughout his career and helped launch the introduction of options on futures in the agricultural markets. In 1985, he founded GMS Trading Corp, which was one of the first trading groups to begin providing electronic market making for CME, helping drive the migration of trading to the screen in 2002. Gerard served as GMS Trading’s President until its expansion with Mercury Holdings, a principal trading firm, in 2007. In 2010 Mercury Holdings merged with Geneva Trading and merged each party’s technology to create a state of the art automated trading platform, providing liquidity for futures exchanges around the world.

Gerard is an avid fitness enthusiast who has competed in many triathlons and marathons. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, fishing, and spending time with his wife and three children in Marco Island, Florida.